Off to Join the Circus LEVELED BOOK • O A Reading A–Z Level O Leveled Book Word Count: 844 Off to Join the Circus Written by Birdie Stark Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials www.readinga-z.com Off to Join the Circus Written by Birdie Stark www.readinga-z.com Tannikin Table of Contents I’m Back! Taiko Aerial Silks Stilts Clowning 11 Tightrope and Poi 13 The Big Show 14 Glossary 16 Off to Join the Circus • Level O Tannikin Table of Contents Birdie I’m Back! Taiko Aerial Silks Stilts I’m Back! My name is Birdie, and I just finished second grade When school lets out for the summer, I’m off to join the circus! The Big Show 14 Okay, I’m really off to circus camp I went last summer, when I was seven For ten days, we learned how to things that I’d never done before Then at the end of camp, we put on a big show Glossary 16 It was so fun, I came back this year! Clowning 11 Tightrope and Poi 13 Off to Join the Circus • Level O Taiko Our first class of the day is taiko— “great drum” in Japanese We wheel out thirteen large wooden drums to the center of the marley—that’s the type of floor we work on Almost everything we takes place on the marley With two or three kids to a drum, we a drumroll with the tips of our index fingers, pretending they’re drumsticks Next, one of our teachers hands out the real bachi—the straight wooden sticks used to play taiko drums Taiko drum Off to Join the Circus • Level O Taiko Our first class of the day is taiko— “great drum” in Japanese We wheel out thirteen large wooden drums to the center of the marley—that’s the type of floor we work on Almost everything we takes place on the marley With two or three kids to a drum, we a drumroll with the tips of our index fingers, pretending they’re drumsticks Next, one of our teachers hands out the real bachi—the straight wooden sticks used to play taiko drums When our teacher gives the command— “Hai!”—we beat our drums in unison Thirteen big drums with thirty drummers beating on them make a mighty sound At the end of class, we bow to our teacher Then it’s on to something completely different Taiko drum Off to Join the Circus • Level O Nola is only eight, but she makes the silks look easy Aerial Silks Aerial means “in the air,” and during silks class, that’s where we spend our time The silks are pieces of strong black fabric that hang from the ceiling of the gym—about twenty feet high—down to the marley Off to Join the Circus • Level O Nola is only eight, but she makes the silks look easy When I try fancy moves, I get really tangled! Emma has to hold me while Barry untangles me from the silks Aerial Silks Aerial means “in the air,” and during silks class, that’s where we spend our time The silks are pieces of strong black fabric that hang from the ceiling of the gym—about twenty feet high—down to the marley Off to Join the Circus • Level O Some kids (like me) can climb to the top of the silks That’s fun, but what we’re learning to is not just climb the silks but also hang from them There are lots of different ways to hang—by our feet, by our arms—but they all involve locking the silk around some part of our bodies Once the silk is locked, it will hold us safely, whether we’re twenty feet or two feet off the ground Stilts After lunch, we all put on our stilts Some stilts you just hop onto, but ours have shoes bolted onto them Last year, I bought my stilt shoes at a thrift store This year, since I’d outgrown them, we put my friend’s old stilt shoes (which she’d outgrown) on my stilts Some kids have trouble stilting at first (I did) Those kids need a stilt partner or one of the teachers to keep them steady They also have the towers to help them Soon, they’ll be able to walk between the two towers Finally, when they’re ready, they can join the rest of us on the marley Off to Join the Circus • Level O Kids use the towers when they’re starting Getting up is often the hardest part Stilts After lunch, we all put on our stilts Some stilts you just hop onto, but ours have shoes bolted onto them Last year, I bought my stilt shoes at a thrift store This year, since I’d outgrown them, we put my friend’s old stilt shoes (which she’d outgrown) on my stilts Some kids have trouble stilting at first (I did) Those kids need a stilt partner or one of the teachers to keep them steady They also have the towers to help them Soon, they’ll be able to walk between the two towers Finally, when they’re ready, they can join the rest of us on the marley Off to Join the Circus • Level O Even teenagers come to circus camp Ruby (right) can spin on her stilts Ceci (left) is amazing, too She can “pop up” from a backbend on her stilts and just walk away “I really feel like a giraffe!” says Mikaila, who just learned to stilt this summer We practice walking sideways on our stilts for the recital on Saturday night Kids use the towers when they’re starting Getting up is often the hardest part Stilts are fun, but they’re tricky when you need to go to the bathroom! 10 Clowning It’s time for one of my favorite classes— clowning Our teachers dump out a huge pile of costumes on the marley: wigs, hats, life jackets, lampshades, wings, bee suits, bow ties We swarm around the pile, grabbing whatever looks good today The wall of mirrors is a great spot to watch your reflection clown around Off to Join the Circus • Level O 11 Clowning It’s time for one of my favorite classes— clowning Our teachers dump out a huge pile of costumes on the marley: wigs, hats, life jackets, lampshades, wings, bee suits, bow ties We swarm around the pile, grabbing whatever looks good today Once we’re in costume, we each find a place in front of the wall of mirrors to watch ourselves Everyone strikes a clown pose and considers their clown character What does this clown love more than anything? What does this clown hate? How does this clown greet people? We walk around the room as the clowns we’ve created Although I’m shy in real life, my clown shakes every hand she can “Very nice to meetcha!” she cries The wall of mirrors is a great spot to watch your reflection clown around Off to Join the Circus • Level O 11 12 Tightrope and Poi One by one, we set out across the tightrope It’s only a foot off the floor, but that’s okay None of us can walk very far on our own yet Poi Other kids are working on their poi skills, swinging soft weights through the air to make different patterns Poi can be simple, or it can be tricky It all depends on how hard the pattern is As we try trickier moves, some of us bonk ourselves in the stomach or the head Oof! Camp is winding down for the day Soon we head home, but we’ll be back at it tomorrow We have to get ready for the big show Off to Join the Circus • Level O 13 Tightrope and Poi One by one, we set out across the tightrope It’s only a foot off the floor, but that’s okay None of us can walk very far on our own yet The Big Show Poi Other kids are working on their poi skills, swinging soft weights through the air to make different patterns Poi can be simple, or it can be tricky It all depends on how hard the pattern is As we try trickier moves, some of us bonk ourselves in the stomach or the head Oof! Camp is winding down for the day Soon we head home, but we’ll be back at it tomorrow We have to get ready for the big show Off to Join the Circus • Level O 13 It’s Saturday night, and people are dressed for the show Even Tannikin, the camp dog, is dressed in shiny sequins As the sun sets and the sky glows orange, we put on our stilts in the parking lot This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for: showtime The big gym door rolls up, and we enter in pairs to the sound of the taiko drums We dance on our stilts We our clown skits We climb the silks We tricks with hula hoops and poi, and walk on globes The audience claps and claps— it’s starting to really feel like a circus now 14 When the acrobats have all done their tricks, they make a bridge of fifteen backs, and Tannikin runs across for the grand finale! It has all gone too fast, and the circus is over until next year Off to Join the Circus • Level O 15 Glossary acrobats (n.) people who perform tumbling or other physical tricks (p 15) audience (n.) a group of people gathered to see and hear a performance or presentation (p 14) When the acrobats have all done their tricks, they make a bridge of fifteen backs, and Tannikin runs across for the grand finale! a performance that usually moves from place to place and has acrobats, clowns, and often trained animals (p 4) grand finale (n.) the end of a performance or show that is often exciting or extraordinary (p 15) pose (n.) a body position that is held for a certain period of time (p 12) recital (n.) a public performance of an art form, such as music or dance, often given by students (p 10) skits (n.) short plays that are usually funny (p 14) steady (adj.) in a stable or firm position; balanced (p 9) unison (n.) It has all gone too fast, and the circus is over until next year Off to Join the Circus • Level O circus (n.) 15 16 happening at the same time or, in music, singing or playing the same notes (p 6) Off to Join the Circus LEVELED BOOK • O A Reading A–Z Level O Leveled Book Word Count: 844 Off to Join the Circus Written by Birdie Stark Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials www.readinga-z.com Off to Join the Circus Written by Birdie Stark Photo Credits: Page (icon used throughout): © iStockphoto.com/Don Nichols; all other photos: © Learning A–Z/Craig Frederick Author’s Note: Birdie would like to thank her mom for help in writing this book Special thanks to Tucson Circus Arts (http://tucsoncircusarts.com) for their assistance in creating this book Off to Join the Circus Level O Leveled Book © Learning A–Z Written by Birdie Stark All rights reserved www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com Correlation LEVEL O Fountas & Pinnell Reading Recovery DRA M 20 28